For what are these connectors? - engine bay (1988 Ford F350)

[1995voyagerES]

Hello.
Can anyone tell me for what those connectors on my 88 F350 7.3 are? I'm searching and searching and can't find anything.
They are on the driver side under the master brake cylinder ... as you can see on the attached photos.

Thank you in advance.

Greetings from germany
Chris

 

[icanfixall]

Welcome to the forum. These are probably the cruise control or if you have a standard trans these might be for the auto trans called the E4OD. Usually the factory makes a wire harness with all the items in it whether the truck has them or not. Its like buying a gasket set and finding other gaskets that you can use in it. Its more cost effective to make one harness or one gasket set with all that extra parts than to shock several gasket sets of harness sets for different trucks.

 

[jas88]

Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but off the top of my head, I believe the one with the 12-GA red and yellow wires is for trailer wiring, and the other one is from the speed sensor. The fact that it is unplugged tells me your truck has the ZF5 trans and no cruise control, right?

 

[1995voyagerES]

Trailer wiring could be correct.
No ZF5, I have the C6 AND cruise control (wich doesn't work :-( )

 

[jas88]

No ZF5, I have the C6 AND cruise control (wich doesn't work :-( )

Well the C6 is like the ZF5 in that it does not need any info from the speed sensor to operate. Maybe your cruise doesn't work because it has no input from the speed sensor?

 

[Coyote_Red]

I think the twisted red and green are for testing the RABS sensor. I am not 100% but I can double check the shop manuals when I get home tonight.

 

[1995voyagerES]

I think I heard about a RABS test connector before. Yes, that could be it!
But the other one?? Really for the A4OD or is it for something else? Could someone confirm the E4OD theory?

 

[towcat]

what in the name of God are you driving a CC dually on the footpaths they call streets?
it must have cost a fortune bringing that monster into the country.

 

[towcat]

I think I heard about a RABS test connector before. Yes, that could be it!
But the other one?? Really for the A4OD or is it for something else? Could someone confirm the E4OD theory?

it's not the connector for the RABS system. here's the pic to find it.

 

[ifrythings]

The plug with the 2 wires (red and green) are the RABS speed sensor test plug, and the other plug is part of the trailer wiring harness, Red is for the trailer break controller, yellow is the power for the trailer running lights relay, brown (truck running lights) triggers the trailer running lights relay and black is ground for the relay.

Every engine bay wiring harness I've seen has that trailer connector, but the other part of it (frame wiring) was an option (I'm guessing people ordered it that way)

 

[1995voyagerES]

Thanks for the pic for finding the RABS test connector - I found it today
What I meant with "i heard about the RABS test connector" was the speed sensor test connector.

Thanks ifrythings for explaining the other connector. Seems to be correct
The funny and bad thing is that I have a trailer hitch on the truck and the pre owner didn't wire it correctly with the relay. He just spliced into the wiring harness from the back lights. That must also be the reason why my main light switch is burned a bit and someone fixed it with new wire ends he put on directly onto the switch and not using the factory connector.


I have a new question:
Today I was digging a bit deeper into the wiring in this corner and found another open connector. Maybe someone knows the function of this one too ?
It connects into the wiring harness that also connects to the cruise controll servo.


I also attached another picture of the other two connectors how they go into the wiring harness.

towcat
what in the name of God are you driving a CC dually on the footpaths they call streets?
it must have cost a fortune bringing that monster into the country.

"the foothpaths they call streets" yeah you're right with that...
It's doable but you cant drive through old villages with very narrow streets.
Don't know what it has cost the pre pre owner to import the truck. It came 1994 to germany was then sitting some years and 2011 the pre owner brought it back to life - and I bought the truck in 2012 for 7000 euro wich is arround 9540 $ They are very rare here and because of that not cheap. I bought the truck with 76000 original miles.

 

[ifrythings]

That looks like the connector for the "vehicle speed sensor", that one should go to a pickup on the transmission (or transfer case) where the speedo cable comes out, colors are dark green with white tracer and red with light blue tracer, on mine, one end of that wire comes up from the frame, then plugs into what looks like the other gender to the bottom right of some of your pics, the other end follows all the wires for the cruise control servo into the cab separate from the rest of the under hood wiring.

Just to make things clear, theses trucks have TWO vehicle speed sensors, one for the RABS/PCM (gassers/diesel E4OD) that's on the top of the rear diff housing and the other one is for the cruise control and is on the tail shaft of the transmission or transfer case on 4X4's

 

[1995voyagerES]

Thank you all for all the good answers!
It helped me a lot!


Maybe one more question:

There is a little thing on the end of the wiring harness by the glowplugs on the passenger side on top of the engine. If you stand in front of it - left side behind the IP - between fuel filter and IP. It looks like this "thing" has some electronics in it and it is sealed with some sort of glue on the bottom (wich is transparent and you can see some electronics inside). I don't know what this could be...

 

[icanfixall]

I can't recall what that electronic item is either. My guess it has something to do with the water in fuel circuit. I know its an odd looking thing that seems to be doing nothing..

 

[The Warden]

Forgive the semi-off-topic question...

It came 1994 to germany was then sitting some years and 2011 the pre owner brought it back to life - and I bought the truck in 2012 for 7000 euro wich is arround 9540 $ They are very rare here and because of that not cheap. I bought the truck with 76000 original miles.

I have to ask...do you have to deal with emissions or vehicle inspections or anything like that, and if so, how is it handled for a vehicle that wasn't originally available for sale there, like that truck? I've heard that Germany isn't very keen on older vehicles being on the road, let alone a battleship like your truck...very cool, though